Is there a cheat to stop trees from fading away when you zoom in? I cannot find anything about it...

I'm using UC and my several of my sims regularly autonomously read, even while their more playful housemates watch tv or play games. There is less reading for fun on lots that have plenty of other fun-advertising objects, or where the bookcases are out of the sim's way (back room of the house) - could the lots you are playing just have other things on them that are distracting your sims, things that weren't present in your earlier games?

Is there any way to have two walls, half-walls, or fences occupying the same edge of a tile? Obviously it wouldn't do anything if the walls were up, but it could be useful for "filling in" arches or creating more interesting colonnades if it was combined with arches or windows...

Thank you very much, stitching. Yes, that's true: in my old game, the dorms in particular were intentionally spartan, to encourage the sims to interact for fun. (They definitely did learn about Red Hands fairly fast, though pillow-fighting stayed popular.) And in my UC game, there is of course so much new stuff that is fun, especially FreeTime objects. And as would follow from your suggestion, I remember I saw that one sim in my UC game reading only recently, after I started to use the (very poorly documented, but very versatile and powerful) autonomy control mod from MATY to stop, for example, specific sims from autonomously using anything hobby-related in their household that did not relate to their OTH. (I'm probably going to restore their autonomy for some of those, but I did want to see what interactions they'd all do when less hobby-mesmerized).

So this is great---I have confirmation that someone else's UC sims do autonomously choose to read, even in the presence of TV (which my old game's dorms had too, so yes, my serious uni students used to sit and read while the person next to them watched TV, like what you describe yours do now).

That proves it is just a matter of what else is in their environment, and that's just what I wanted to know.

Much appreciated!

You can stack fences. if I can remember how... Put down fence one, build foundation against it then build fence two on top of foundation, remove foundation. I think, it's been awhile since I did that. But maybe that isn't what you are asking as I'm sure you would know that trick Zar.

Nope, this is the first I've heard of it! I'll have to fiddle with it a bit, see if anything comes of it!

I think that relates to the object hiding setting.
a number of settings seem to have a respective cheat (or set of cheats). I found several in the Graphics Rules file (Graphics Rules.sgr); had not searched for this one in that file.
full directory:: Program Files/EA Games/The Sims 2/TSData/Res/Config/
there is another version in the CSConfig folder; same extension.
can be opened with Wordpad/Notepad.

Ok, thank you. I'll go check that out when I'll shut my game

It's fun fiddling with fences, I did it here in this lot: https://www.modthesims.info/d/499887 I stacked a metal fence on top of a brick one.

Have we ever found out what was the deal with exploding toilet when we start our game on pause, then unpause it?
Just curious...

Does it make a difference to anything what you order for a fellow sim at a restaurant? I've always wondered. Do you not get as much relationship gain if you order something cheaper, or anything like that?

I don't know *if* it matters. But if it does, and you want the best relationship gain while still saving on the bill, you'd order the cheap meal for yourself, and the expensive one for your date
But as I said, I don't know if it actually *does* make a difference.

According to Prima Guide, if you can order your date's favorite food (it will appear on their thought bubble while ordering--a Sim's favorite food is permanent but different between NL and OFB podiums), you will get a (slight?) boost on date score. Ordering Chef's Choice automatically selects the favorite food for every Sim, but it doesn't add up score. Prima Guide doesn't mention about outing at all, so maybe it's pointless for outing after all (just order Chef's Choice). TBH, I never paid attention to the score while on a date. The score seems insignificant and I usually just flirt-flirt-kiss-WooHoo my date for certain dream date.

Sorry for double-posting, but I don't feel like asking and answering a question on the same post, so... I did this. I have 2 questions.

Has anybody ever successfully made a salon business? I feel like this business makes more expenses than income. It's very rare that a customer would browse the makeover chair if there are other stuff being marked for sale. But even if it's the only thing for sale, customers would usually just wander off anyway. Also, if I offer a non-free makeover to a customer, they won't browse it unlike regular items for sale. Anybody has workaround or mod to this? I want to make a boutique that can change people's appearance--makeover and clothes.

Second, has anybody had a gaming competition? Many years ago, I think when Sims start a gaming competition in a community lot, other Sims will join autonomously like other contests, but now not anymore. I have Computer Fixes mod from Simbology, but it says,

I don't use the no-autonomy version, but Sims never seem to join the competition.

I will ask you a rather silly question but..would you by any chance have a mod that stops unplayable/playable to use computers autonomously? I have one..otherwise, all they do is being at their computers all day....llike me.

Lily's House of Transformation in Drama Acres has always made money, though when I'm playing it as Lily no one ever gets a makeover because she's selling product and clothes too, and I've had a lot of trouble getting makeovers from her since her employee Ruby went to college - don't know what's up with that.

Though it hasn't been open long, Jessy PIlferson's Comb Up and See Me salon in Strangetown, which does not have anything for sale except the makeovers. She goes in with her housemate Sarah, who does the sales while Jessy does the makeovers. When someone else visits the place it's just Jessy and there's no problem getting a makeover.

It's hard to imagine what expenses you could have at a salon unless you have more employees than you need. All you need is a chair - there's no overhead on the makeover part at all.

I have a salon with bare settings. I don't sell anything else. I started with one makeover chair and two sofas. A makeover costs 50§ which isn't much money but my hairdresser is the second richest sim in town (old money). My salon is more a place where sims can meet and townies get makeovers. For clothes, I have a clothing shop.
I added a second chair since her son is supposed to take over the business when she'll retire. Since makeovers are the only thing for sale, customers browse and socialize while patiently waiting their term. Some customers don't browse though but I'm fine with that.

I played my salon yesterday and it was quite entertaining since Noah Marcotte only had a bronze badge.
Hope this help.


I had a gaming competition in an uni community lot yesterday. Sims join but I think it takes time to start. My sim won. FYI, I don't use the computer fixes mod.
I barely have gaming competition in my game.

Oh, I have LOTS of mods, and Computer Fixes.package is the only thing that was in my mind. I did check my mods, though it's possible that I might've missed any! I just want to make sure if anyone else finds this behavior not supposed to be like this. If not, then I'll have to dig through my mods again. Not a big deal, but I miss Sims competing on computers. I guess Essa confirmed it to me, so thanks!

On account to salon, the clothing racks made more profit in a business that was run by an employee and several family members. Customers seem to neglect the salon chair more. Peni and Essa pointed out it's possible to run a business with salon chair though. Maybe I'll just have to try harder with different strategy. Maybe I'm just bad at business after all. Thank you!

I have a salon, it's quite good. I have 3 hairdressers and I also stuck a massage table from Bon Voyage in there. You can offer a basic massage for $100, it takes about an hour to do but it's a trick that I used to increase profits quicker.
I think simlogical has an object that allows you to set employees as masseurs as well, but I can't access the site just now.

When I only had EPs through OFB, a makeover salon was one of the businesses that one of my sims used to complete the LTW where they need to have level 10 in 5 businesses. I did not find it hard to get up to level 10, but indeed, it is not as profitable, especially if only using one chair, as retail stores that sell any type of goods. And it seemed to be true that the makeover chair is set to advertise less strongly than racks holding sellable goods.



I think one thing that people seem to forget about running a makeover business is that you can do sales on someone browsing the chair, just like when they are browsing any other kind of display. Make sure you take advantage of this. I have heard of a problem where even when a customer's sales bar became filled, they would leave the salon premises without staying for the makeover---and IIRC that was some sort of hack conflict, because again, as with any other retail sales, a filled bar when browsing the makeover chair should mean the customer sits down for a makeover, or sits and waits if someone else has gotten in the chair in the meantime, and pays you too.

Because I really wasn't using business hacks and at the time had a computer that would only just handle the game I had, a couple other tricks I used to get more people on the salon lot were these. First, until the business had 2 or 3 stars, I had a hot tub in one corner; the wood-looking hot tub places nicely in corners. Along with the hot tub, I had a ticket machine on the lot. Because of course, customers give more stars the longer they stay at your "day spa," and depending on the price on your ticket machine, this can be a good source of profit too. Second, I would just have my sim call townies he knew to come over, and then they would either get in the hot tub or be sold a makeover. Or if I wanted to do a makeover on someone in the hot tub, no problem---click the chair and Offer Makeover to that sim. They would get out of the hot tub and then my sim could offer and then do Sales, Sales, Sales until they took it.

I removed my hot tub and ticket machine as soon as the business had enough stars to get a few more customers at a time.

Editing to address this...


It's Simwardrobe that has that hack, which you find under Business Facilitators. It's Employee Massage. (That site does not allow direct linking to individual pages. Ooh, it does too, and SciBirg did so below me!) Have not used Employee Massage myself, so I don't have any feedback about it.

I find it useful with salons to take the reputation business perk as soon as you earn one- this ensures that you have more interested customers sooner. Also I like to have a mod that makes sims leave as soon as they have purchased a makeover- this helps to ensure that you don't have socialising sims get in the way of the salon chair, which results in foot stamping and browsing drop-out. I just have a salon chair and a couple of sofas to start with, and no employees. The sim can perform Sales> Basic Sell on customers whilst waiting for a client, but don't forget to click on the salon chair quickly afterwards, so that the chair is manned for when the sale is accepted. This applies for offering the free makeover too- if there is no-one manning the salon chair then the offer of a free makeover will fail.

I have a salon too, with employees manning (womaning?) the salon chair and the register (they also sell cologne). I get autonomous customers to both the salon chair and the cologne, but more customers for the cologne.

I will definitely add the massage table. The mod for setting employees as masseuses is from simwardrobe, http://www.paladins-place.org/sims-...-controller.htm

Why does the cutscene for first time woohoo keep playing for couples who have woohooed before?

It is usually happening if you have mod conflict or outdated mod.

Did I install a hack that made regular woohoo (not ACR) risky? Because I was deliberately not trying to get Bianca the pregnant needs drain so soon on her honeymoon, and I really don't think the mouse slipped. Natural twins, the scanner says.

Does ACR work for anyone in hotels? My sims always pick a bed or sofa behind a door in another room, one they aren't checked into, to use, and I get the "You have to check in before you can use this" message.

Binaca's husband, Chester Geike, is apparently competing with the Curious-Smiths on the religion front. This quite surprised me, but he wanted a paranormal career, and followed that up by not rolling a kiss or first kiss want on his first date with Bianca, so those two together indicated that he's a young preacher called to Veronaville. They ended up sharing their first kiss under their wedding arch. As soon as Bianca feeds him up a bit they'll be three-bolters, so it wasn't any lack of attraction. It was just . . . his fate calling, I guess! He pretty clearly intends to focus on preaching brotherly (strictly and only!) love and affection between the feuding clans. Any names suggestions for his church?